Asked by: Rob Roberts (Independent - Delyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the operations, maintenance and renewal spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route was in Control Periods (i) 4, (ii) 5 and (iii) 6.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The following table sets out total spend on operations, maintenance and renewal in Control Periods 4 and 5. Control Period 6 concludes in March 2024, therefore the Control Period 6 figures are estimates.
Figures in £million | CP4 | CP5 | CP6 |
England and Wales | 31901 | 32710 | 41100 |
o/w Wales Route | 1952 | 1952 | 2400 |
Additional notes are as follows relating to the annual figures that comprise these totals:
Note for context that NR spend on the Wales and Borders route is between 4% and 5% of the GB total so far in CP6, whilst Network Rail’s Wales and Borders route makes up circa 4% of the entire GB rail network in terms of train miles in CP6.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) reports of, (b) charges for and (c) convictions for shoplifting in (i) Preston and (ii) England there were in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects information on the number of recorded offences for shoplifting and their investigative outcomes from police forces in England and Wales. These can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
Data for the Preston Community Safety Partnership Area and England can be found in the table below:
Number of recorded offences of shoplifting and charges, by calendar year:
Recorded Crimes | Charges | |||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Preston | 735 | 898 | 1,214 | 93 | 64 | 102 |
England* | 240,157 | 238,097 | 291,120 | 45,604 | 35,381 | 43,592 |
* - Figures for England exclude Devon & Cornwall and British Transport Police
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions for the offence ’46 Theft from shops’ in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2022, which can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2022
Information about the number of convictions by Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is not available. Police Force Area-level breakdowns are available in this tool, though note this will relate to the location of the convicting court which differ from where the offence took place.
The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests made by police forces in England and Wales, these are available here:
However, these data are only collected and published at the broader offence level, for example 'theft offences', therefore more detailed breakdowns such as 'shoplifting' are not available.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) incidents of and (b) arrests for shoplifting were recorded in each police force across England in each of the last three years.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects information on the number of recorded offences for shoplifting and their investigative outcomes from police forces in England and Wales. These can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
Data for the Preston Community Safety Partnership Area and England can be found in the table below:
Number of recorded offences of shoplifting and charges, by calendar year:
Recorded Crimes | Charges | |||||
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
Preston | 735 | 898 | 1,214 | 93 | 64 | 102 |
England* | 240,157 | 238,097 | 291,120 | 45,604 | 35,381 | 43,592 |
* - Figures for England exclude Devon & Cornwall and British Transport Police
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions for the offence ’46 Theft from shops’ in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2022, which can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2022
Information about the number of convictions by Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is not available. Police Force Area-level breakdowns are available in this tool, though note this will relate to the location of the convicting court which differ from where the offence took place.
The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests made by police forces in England and Wales, these are available here:
However, these data are only collected and published at the broader offence level, for example 'theft offences', therefore more detailed breakdowns such as 'shoplifting' are not available.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many speeding offences were recorded in (a) 2020 and (b) 2022.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences in England and Wales on an annual basis. The most recent data, up to 2021, is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118166/fixed-penalty-notices-and-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-and-procedures-year-ending-31-december-2021.ods
In 2020, there were 2,006,382 speed limit offences recorded on the central PentiP system in England and Wales (excludes British Transport Police). However this figure may be an underestimation since Durham, North Wales, South Wales, Gwent, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire forces do not record all outcomes on the PentiP system.
Data for 2022 will be published in November/December of 2023, and is pre-announced on gov.uk here: Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and Wales, year ending March 2023 - National statistics announcement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The number of FPNs and other outcomes given for speed limit offences increased by 34% between 2011 and 2020.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure the safety of women and girls on public transport.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As part of the cross-government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, the Department appointed two independent Violence Against Women and Girls Transport Champions, who published 13 recommendations as part of a review in March 2022. The Department is working closely with the Home Office and with the Department for Education to respond to the review to improve the safety of women and girls on transport. Since 2019, the British Transport Police has enhanced its approach to combatting VAWG, complemented by the Chief Constable’s own personal commitment.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many instances of cable theft affecting train services have been reported in the last 12 months for which figures are available; what steps the Government is taking to help reduce this number; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police (BTP) recorded 214 incidents of live cable theft in 2022-2023.
The Government recognises the disruption that can be caused by cable theft and strongly supports BTP’s engagement with the rail industry, and operational activities to tackle it. The BTP-led National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership works to problem solve, disrupt and reduce all aspects of metal and infrastructure crime across the UK. BTP also have dedicated disruption teams which proactively target metal crime hotspots. The Force conducts a national training programme to upskill police forces and partners across the UK to tackle metal crime.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will meet (a) the hon. Member for Birmingham Yardley and (b) representatives of Women's Aid to discuss the use of (i) Nationwide Tracing Services Ltd and (ii) other specialist people-tracing firms by perpetrators of domestic abuse to track down victims staying at confidential refuges.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The safety of women and girls across the country is a key Government priority. We are taking a range of steps to tackle perpetrators and prevent re-offending to protect all victims. For example, the Home Office recently concluded a £36 million competition to increase the availably of interventions for domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators.
Police can also put in place measures to protect victims of domestic abuse or stalking, including pre-charge bail conditions, and applying for protective orders, such as Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) or Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government legislated for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Order, which will go even further in protecting victims from all forms of domestic abuse. Courts will be able to impose conditions such as electronic monitoring and attendance on a behaviour change programme, alongside mandatory notification requirements to protect the victim. The new notice and order will be piloted from Spring 2024 in three police force areas and with the British Transport Police.
It is critical for the safety of victims that women's refuges and other types of domestic abuse safe accommodation can keep their locations secret.
I would welcome a meeting with the hon. Member for Birmingham Yardley and representatives of Women's Aid to discuss this issue.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will take steps to prevent (a) Nationwide Tracing Services Ltd and (b) other specialist people-tracing firms from offering services that enable perpetrators of domestic abuse to track down victims staying at confidential refuges.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The safety of women and girls across the country is a key Government priority. We are taking a range of steps to tackle perpetrators and prevent re-offending to protect all victims. For example, the Home Office recently concluded a £36 million competition to increase the availably of interventions for domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators.
Police can also put in place measures to protect victims of domestic abuse or stalking, including pre-charge bail conditions, and applying for protective orders, such as Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) or Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government legislated for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Order, which will go even further in protecting victims from all forms of domestic abuse. Courts will be able to impose conditions such as electronic monitoring and attendance on a behaviour change programme, alongside mandatory notification requirements to protect the victim. The new notice and order will be piloted from Spring 2024 in three police force areas and with the British Transport Police.
It is critical for the safety of victims that women's refuges and other types of domestic abuse safe accommodation can keep their locations secret.
I would welcome a meeting with the hon. Member for Birmingham Yardley and representatives of Women's Aid to discuss this issue.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to update the logo of the British Transport Police with the Tudor Crown.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Unlike the Metropolitan police, the British Transport Police (BTP) logo does not use the whole Royal Cypher. Official guidance states that the only items which currently require a new logo are those that use the Royal Cypher in its entirety. It also states that the decision to replace cyphers will be at the discretion of individual organisations.
However, BTP are awaiting further guidance from the Cabinet Office and the Royal Household. Should the force be required to update its logo, the current guidance stipulates that it would be able to do so in a gradual and cost-efficient manner.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle organised bike theft.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The British Transport Police-led National Cycle Crime Group, working with Department for Transport, have set up Cycle Crime Reduction Partnerships across the country to coordinate regional enforcement activity to disrupt organised cycle theft.
The Home Office works closely with the British Transport Police (BTP), the national lead for tackling cycle theft, who have launched the ‘double lock it’ campaign with police forces and organisations, providing advice to owners to help better protect their bicycles. Further information on the campaign and bicycle locks can be found here: https://www.btp.police.uk/police-forces/british-transport-police/areas/campaigns/double-lock-it/.
The Department for Transport (DfT) published its Cycling and Walking Plan for England, Gear Change, in 2020, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-plan-for-england(opens in a new tab). The Plan aims to boost cycling and walking and sets out a number of initiatives to combat cycle theft which DfT is leading, including encouraging retailers to number the bicycles they sell and offering customers the opportunity to register their bicycle on a database at the point of sale.
The Crime survey of England & Wales show that bicycle theft since March 2010 has reduced by 49%.